Customer Spotlight

Carolyn Butterfield was selected to be our first featured client in the Veristone Wire. She and her designated broker Debbie Campbell, of Investor’s Choice Real Estate, have been working with Veristone for roughly 3 months. Carolyn just finished flipping her third project with us and both parties have thoroughly enjoyed the process. We were fortunate enough to talk with her for a few minutes and discuss various developments in her career.

Veristone: How did you initially get into flipping houses?

Carolyn: “For a long time I was calling the trustee auctions at the courthouse, so I’ve known most of the local lenders for years. I just never had the money to get into house flipping myself until I got into this terrible car accident. With the settlement I received, I was able to cover the surgery I had to have on my shoulder and use what was left over for a down payment on my first flip project. Rather than buy a new car or do something silly, I realized this is my one shot; I’m going to try and flip a house.”

V: Which areas interest you most while searching for a future investment?

CB: “Lake Stevens. I live in Lake Stevens and I try to keep my flips as close to home as possible. Otherwise it becomes too hard logistically for me to manage all of my projects. I’m completely hands-on with every single one of them.”

V: Though you have considerable experience flipping houses and working with financers, you’re a relatively new Veristone partner. What are the reasons you decided to work with someone new?

CB: “Over time I’ve just grown tired of the ethics demonstrated by other lenders in this area. I flipped several houses working with a Veristone competitor before ever considering leaving but I ended up having one negative experience after another until I just couldn’t take it anymore! More than once, they bid on properties in my name without permission and I didn’t end up hearing about it until after the transaction was complete. I also ended up being billed for various service fees that we had previously agreed to waive. I was unhappy to say the least, but somewhat unaware of other options out there. Once I began shopping around for a new lender, I realized that I needed to take my business elsewhere. Plus, the Veristone guys are just awesome.”

V: How has working with Veristone been a different experience?

CB: “Whenever I expressed interest in a new property with my former lending partner, they would always give me this sort of, “Come beg us for money, and we’ll think about it” attitude. The first time I met with Veristone they made it clear that they would do whatever it took to earn my business. I was sitting in their conference room in awe as I compared it to previous experiences in my head. It was awesome because they made me feel like I was truly a priority, they told me that I was exactly the kind of investor that they want to work with and I felt truly appreciated.”